Why Lifetime Costs Impact Your Cooling System Purchase

A new cooling system is a big household purchase. Like an automobile, a cooling system has an initial purchase price and then the continuing costs of operating and maintaining the air conditioning system. While the purchase price is a big-ticket item, it is usually the operating and maintenance costs that will provide the greatest opportunity for savings over the lifetime of the cooling system. These lifetime costs can be estimated at the time of purchase to ensure that you buy the cooling system with the greatest savings over time.

The federal Energy Star program estimates heating and air conditioning account for at least half of your annual energy costs. You can estimate your savings by looking at your July utility bill. Divide the total cost in half; that’s probably half the amount spent to run your air conditioner in July. If a new system is 30 or 50 percent more efficient, some simple math will let you quantify your savings. Compare those monthly savings to the difference in upfront costs to determine which system is actually more cost effective.

Another important factor to calculate is the lifetime maintenance and repair costs of a system. You should be sure to include the cost of regularly scheduled maintenance by a skilled professional as well as the cost of air filters. The scheduled maintenance performed annually by an HVAC professional, as well as consistently changing filters according your system’s specifications, will add years and lower lifetime costs of your system.